I bought a Wacom Bamboo Fun a couple weeks ago and have been using it since for general computing as well as mapping, Photoshopping and such. I went with a cheapie because I'm not a hardcore artist (I'm a photographer, though) but I really liked the idea of a stylus instead of the cramp-inducing mouse. Also, I was mourning the end of a romantic jaunt, and new tech is always a good picker-upper.

The Bamboo Fun is small, the name's a little silly, but it fits my needs and it's really been encouraging to see the stuff in my head come out on the screen. For me, it's made that kind of intellectual transfer a little faster, a little more fun, and a little more instinctive.